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Facts and Figures 2015 / 2016 Sheffield City Council Annual Housing Statistics Report
Facts and Figures
2015 / 2016
Sheffield City Council Annual Housing Statistics Report
2
Contents
Page
Introduction 4
Section 1 - Housing Overview 5
1. Housing Stock 6 Council housing
Right to Buy Sales
Registered Providers
Re-housing
2. New Homes 15 3. Empty Properties 18 4. House Prices 19 5. Rental Costs
Private Sector
Social Housing
22 23
Section 2 – Private Sector Housing Help 25
6. Private Housing Standards
Making Private Rented Housing Safe
Houses in Multiple Occupation
Tenancy Relations Advice
Tenancy advice and deterring illegal eviction
Dealing with Problematic Empty Properties
Selective Licensing
Landlord Training
The Snug scheme
26
Section 3 – Housing Advice and Support 32
7. Homelessness Services 33 8. Helping vulnerable people to live independently 37 9. Energy Management, Reduction and Resilience 40
Section 4 – Council Housing Management 42
10. Five Year Investment Programme 43 11. Maintenance 44 12. Estate Management 47 13. Anti-social Behaviour 48 14. Customer Service 49 15. Rent Collection 51 16. Council Housing Revenue 52
Section 5 – Additional Information 54
17. Overview of Housing Market Areas 54
3
18. Useful links 56 19. Sources of Information 58 20 Glossary 58
4
Introduction
Welcome to Facts and Figures for 2015 to 2016. This is the 31st edition of the annual Sheffield City Council statistical report exploring
housing in Sheffield. The report covers a broad range of statistics, from the general price
of housing in Sheffield, to specific housing services that we deliver.
All the figures used in the report are taken from the 2015/16 financial year (1st April
2015 to 31st March 2016) unless otherwise stated. Some five year historical
comparisons are also used.
This document has been divided into 5 clear sections to make it easier to read and use.
Section 1 gives a general picture of housing in Sheffield, sections 2 and 3 explore the
actions of Sheffield City Council’s housing services teams, and section 4 provides
information about the management of Sheffield’s Council housing. Section 5 contains a
list of useful statistical links and sources of information used in this document.
Where available, the data is provided by the 13 Housing Market Areas (HMA) because of
the distinct sub housing markets which exist within Sheffield. The HMAs have been
identified from socio-economic, topographical and housing search information, and were
updated for the 2013 Sheffield Housing Market Assessment. An overview of each HMA is
provided in Section 5.
We welcome and appreciate your feedback and comments on this document. Please
contact the Housing Strategy and Policy team on (0114) 27 36396 or email
This document can be supplied in large print, audio tape, Braille or in another language if required. If you would like to request this service please contact the Housing Strategy and Policy Team on (0114) 27 36396 or at [email protected]
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Section 1
Housing Overview
This section contains information and statistics about:
Sheffield’s housing stock
Social re-housing
New housing in Sheffield
Empty homes
Sheffield’s house prices
Sheffield’s rental prices
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1. Housing Stock
All Houses
Table 1.1 shows the total breakdown of all residential properties in Sheffield. The vast majority
of properties are privately owned (either owner occupied or privately rented). The small number
(0.1%) of ‘other public sector’ properties are owned by public bodies, such as the Ministry of
Defence and the NHS.
Table 1.1 – Dwellings in Sheffield
Sector Total dwellings %
Council Stock 40,195 16.5%
Registered Providers of Social Housing (RPs)
18,441 7.6%
Other Public Sector 75 0.1%
Private Sector 184,721 75.8%
Total 243,432 100%
Source: LAHS, SCC
1.1. Council Housing Stock
At the end of March 2016, we owned 40,195 properties, a fall of 188 properties since 2014/15.
Table 1.2 shows the change in Council stock levels over the past 5 years.
Table 1.2 – Council housing stock
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Stock 41,366 41,325 40,733 40,383 40,195
Change over last year
-286 -41 -326 -350 -188
% Change over last year
-0.7% -0.1% -1.4% -0.9% -0.5%
Change over last 5 years
-1,104 -828 -1,069 -1,269 -1,171
% Change over last 5 years
-2.7% -2.0% -2.6% -3.0% -2.9%
Source: LAHS, ELASH, HSSA
7
Chart 1.1 shows Council properties broken down by property type. The majority of Council
properties are either houses (47%) or flats (39%), with a smaller number of bungalows and
maisonettes.
Chart 1.1 – Breakdown of Council properties by type.
(Source: SCC Council Housing Service)
Chart 1.2 shows Council properties broken down by size. The vast majority of Council
properties have between 1 and 3 bedrooms. 2 bedroom properties are the most common type.
There are a limited amount of properties with 4 or more bedrooms, accounting for only 1% of
the overall stock.
Chart 1.2 – Breakdown of Council properties by size
Source: SCC Council Housing Service
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Map 1.1 shows that the North East (9,400 approx.) and South East (7,000 approx.) HMAs
contain the highest number of Council properties. The Peak District National Park (370 approx.)
and Rural Upper Don Valley (350 approx.) HMAs have the lowest numbers of Council
properties.
Map 1.1: Council properties by Housing Market Area (HMA)
1.2 Right to Buy Sales
During 2015/16 the Right to Buy scheme allowed Council tenants with a secure tenancy to buy
their Council home at a discount if they had been a tenant for three years or more; this didn’t
have to be for three consecutive years. In 2015 the maximum discount available to tenants with
30 years tenancy was increased to 70%, with a maximum limit of £77,000. This followed on
from other incentives made to the scheme that were introduced in 2012, and which help to
explain the substantial increase in Right to Buy sales over recent years.
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There was a rise of 4% in Right to Buy sales in 2015/16 over the previous year.
Table 1.3 – Right to Buy sales
Source: Department for Communities and Local Government (Table 691)
1.3 Registered Providers’ Housing Stock
Registered Providers (RPs) of social housing (formerly called Registered Social Landlords and
sometimes referred to as Housing Associations) are organisations which provide social housing.
In Sheffield there are around 18,500 RP properties (including supported and sheltered housing).
Along with Council housing, these make up the social rented sector. RP properties constitute
approximately 7.6% of all housing in Sheffield.
The majority of Registered Providers (RPs) in Sheffield have access to the Council’s Choice
Based Lettings (CBL) system and are required to achieve 50.0% of their lettings using SCC’s
allocations policy; these are nominations from the Council. In 2015/16 these RPs collectively
achieved 65% of lets by nomination and therefore exceeded their requirement. The remainder,
who in 2015/16 accounted for 18% of RP general needs and sheltered stock in Sheffield, also
have a target of 50.0% lettings by nomination. They collectively achieved 60% of lets by
nomination from the Council and therefore exceeded their overall target. Places for People,
which has a requirement of 90% of lets by nomination for their UK Housing Trust properties,
achieved 91%.
There are seven Registered Providers that own over 1,000 properties each in Sheffield,
these are:
Acis
Great Places
Guinness Partnership
Pennine Housing 2000
Places for People
Sanctuary
South Yorkshire Housing Association
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 Change over 5 Years
RTB Sales 104 149 255 288 300 +196
Change over last year
+16 +45 +106 +33 +12 -
% Change over last year
+18.2% +43.3% +71.1% +12.9% +4.0% -
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Chart 1.4 shows Registered Provider properties broken down by type. The majority of
Registered Provider properties are either houses (59%%) or flats (35%), with a smaller number
of bungalows and maisonettes.
Chart 1.4 Breakdown of RP stock by type
Source: SCC (RP stock inventory)
Chart 1.5 shows that the large majority of RP properties have between 1 and 3 bedrooms; 3
bedroom properties are the most common type. There are a limited number of properties with
more than 4 or more bedrooms; these account for only 3% of the overall stock.
Chart 1.5 Breakdown of RP stock by size
Source: SCC (RP stock inventory)
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Manor/Arbourthorne/Gleadless (5000 approx.) and North East (4000 approx.) are the HMAs
with the most RP properties in the city. The HMAs with the fewest RP properties are
Stocksbridge and Deepcar, Peak District National Park and Rural Upper Don Valley, which all
have fewer than 100 properties owned by RPs.
Map 1.2 Registered Providers’ Properties by HMA
1.4 Re-housing
This section contains information on the number of new and existing applications for Council
and RP housing, and the numbers and types of lettings.
The Housing Register
We operate an open Housing Register which means that anyone who is over 16 years old can
join the waiting list for a Council property. 16 and 17 year olds can join, but are not usually
offered a property until they are at least 18.
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Table 1.3 shows that during 2015/16 there were 14,136 new applicants on the housing register,
(also known as the re-housing list) which is an increase of 5.4% from the previous year.
Table 1.3 – Number of new applications to the housing register
2011/12
2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 Change over 5 years
Number of new applications
13,545 10,392 11,467 13,416 14,136 +591
Change over last year
+931 -3,153 +1,075 +1,949 +720 -
% Change over last year
+6.9% -30.3% +10.3% +14.5% +5.4% +4.4%
Source: SCC Council Housing Service
Under the current system, people who are on our Housing Register and would like to express
an interest in renting a particular property need to place a ‘bid’ on the property. This can be done
in person at a number of places, on the Property Shop website, by telephone or by post.
Table 1.4 shows the total numbers of people on the housing register at the end of 2015/16,
broken down into ‘active’ and ‘suspended’. Those who are active are currently able to place
bids, if they wish to. Many people remain on the housing register ‘just in case’ they find
themselves in need of Council housing and these are the suspended applicants.
Table 1.4 – Number of applications on the re-housing list by type
Number of people
Suspended 3,515
Active 36,356
Total 39,871
Source: SCC
Table 1.5 shows that the number of people actually bidding for properties is much lower than the
number of people on the housing register. It also shows that there are more people applying for
a property than there are properties available. There are approximately 2 people who would like
a property for every 1 person who is successful in getting one. The number of active bidders
reduced significantly following a tightening of eligibility rules for social housing to match the
change to Housing Benefit regulations that were introduced in April 2013.
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Table 1.5 – Number of people bidding and properties let per year
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 Change over 5 years
Properties let through Choice Based Lettings
3,665 3,592 3,665 3,546 4,046 +381
People bidding 18,304 17,402 16,472 8,085 8,898 -9,406
Change in people bidding over last year
-253 -902 -930 -8,387 +813 +813
% Change in people bidding over last year
-1.4% -4.9% -5.3% -50.9% +10.1% -51.4%
Source: SCC
Lettings to Council properties
A total of 4,678 secure lettings were made to Council properties during 2015/16. Chart 1.6
shows that there were 64 fewer secure lets in 2015/16 compared to 2014/15.
Chart 1.6 - Number of secure lettings 2011/12 to 2015/16
Source: SCC Council Housing Service
Table 1.6 shows a breakdown of lettings by type. There were 4,699 lettings in total (4,678
secure lettings plus 21 decant lettings), with the overwhelming majority of lets are made through
the Choice Based Lettings system, some of which will be to existing council tenants.
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Table 1.6 – Council lets by type
Type of Letting Number of Lets
Choice Based Lettings 3550
New Secure Tenancies 290
First Come First Served 469
Management Lettings 10
Successions and Assignments 67
Decant 21
Temporary to Secure Tenancies 34
Mutual Exchange Lettings 258
Total 4,699
Source: SCC
Table 1.7 shows the average number of days that it takes to re-let properties belonging to
Registered Providers and the Council. Due to changes to the format in which CORE data is
published, the figures for 2015/16 show the average time taken to re-let social-rent general
needs properties only. On average RP properties took 21.6 days fewer to re-let than Council
properties.
15
Table 1.7 Average number of days vacant before re-let
RPs Council
Year Days Change over last year (days)
Days Change over last year (days)
2011/12 28.5 -0.6 29.9 -0.8
2012/13 23.3 -5.2 29.6 -0.3
2013/14 26.1 +2.8 27.1 -2.5
2014/15 22.0 -4.1 42.3 +15.2
2015/16 29.2* +7.2 50.8* +8.5
Change over 5 years (days)
- +0.7 - +20.9
Source: CORE and SCC *Re-let times are based on general needs social-rent properties only due to a change in CORE published data in 2015/16
2. New Homes
This section provides details of house building in Sheffield since 2011/12.
In 2015/16, a total of 1,621 dwellings were built, including 24 purpose-built student flats.
The majority of these new builds were in the private sector. Table 2.1 shows data from
the previous five years broken down by housing sector. The new build properties in the
social sector were developments by Registered Providers and now include properties for
“affordable rent”. The affordable rent scheme was introduced in 2011, and allows
Registered Providers to offer tenancies for rents of up to 80% of market rent levels.
Table 2.1 – New build completions by sector 2011/12 to 2015/16
Year Social Sector Private Sector Purpose-built student flats
Total
11/12 268 356 14 638
12/13 76 679 178 933
13/14 112 820 42 974
14/15 593 1,103
116 1,812
15/16 121 1,476 24 1,621
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Change over 5 years
+1,170 +4,434 +374 +5,978
Source: SCC (Planning Monitoring)
There were 472 fewer social sector dwellings and 373 more private sector dwellings
completed in 2015/16 compared to the previous year. Overall completions were down by
10.5% on the previous year, with 191 fewer properties built.
Table 2.2 shows the breakdown of new build properties by type and size. The majority of
new builds in 2015/16 were flats/maisonettes/apartments (non-student), accounting for
75.8% of all new homes built. 76.1% of new flats/maisonettes/apartments (non-student),
had 1 bedroom, whilst 41.8% of new houses/bungalows had 3 bedrooms.
Table 2.2 – New-build completions by dwelling type and size
Number of bedrooms
House or bungalow Flat, maisonette or
apartment (non-student)
Purpose-built student flats
1 13 935 9
2 123 260 0
3 154 32 0
4+ 78 2 15
Total 368 1,229 24
% 22.7% 75.8% 1.5%
Source: SCC (Planning Monitoring)
Table 2.3 shows that the highest level of house building is now taking place in the City
Centre HMA, which contains the Central Ward and parts of the Broomhill, Manor Castle
and Walkley wards. The lowest level of building took place in the Rural Upper Don Valley
HMA, which includes the wards of Stocksbridge and Upper Don Valley.
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Table 2.3 - New build completions by area
Housing Market Area Large Site
Completions* Small Site
Completions**
Total Completions
% of Total Completions
Chapeltown/Ecclesfield 0 11 11 0.7%
City Centre 622 40 662 40.8%
City Centre West 415 52 467 28.8%
East 16 12 28 1.7%
Manor/Arbourthorne/Gleadless 65 4 69 4.3%
North East 146 21 167 10.3%
North West 61 21 82 5.1%
Peak District National Park 0 8 8 0.5%
Rural Upper Don Valley 5 2 7 0.4%
South 17 11 28 1.7%
South East 30 22 52 3.2%
South West 0 28 28 1.7%
Stocksbridge & Deepcar 5 7 12 0.7%
Total 1382 239 1621 100%
*over 10 dwellings, ** under 10 dwellings (Source: Planning Monitoring, SCC)
In Sheffield, the target is to build at least 88% of new homes on brownfield sites (land
which has been developed in the past), to reduce the amount of development on our
green spaces and to restrict the sprawl of urban areas.
Chart 2.1 shows that this target has been achieved for the past 5 years and in 2015/16 it
was exceeded by 9.8 percentage points.
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Chart 2.1 – Percentage of house building on brownfield sites
Source: SCC (Planning Monitoring)
3. Empty Properties
Over the past five years, there has been a decrease of 4.3% in the number of long term
(more than 6 months) vacant properties in the city. The large majority of these are private
sector properties.
Table 3.1 - % change in homes vacant for more than six months
Year No. of vacant dwellings % Change over last year
2011/12 3,328 -0.5%
2012/13 2,719 -18.3%
2013/14 2,409 -11.4%
2014/15 2,186 -9.3%
2015/16 2,095 -4.3%
Change over 5 years 1,233 37.0%
Source: CTB1 returns (reporting period is October each year)
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In October 2015 a total of 2,095 properties were vacant for more than 6 months, which is
a decrease of 4.3% from the previous year.
Map 3.1 – Long term (more than six months) private empty properties by HMA
The greatest number of long-term empty properties are found in the City Centre West
(Map 3.1), which is down to the high numbers of private rented properties in this area and
the high turnover found in this this tenure type as a result of short 6 month tenancies.
More information about how the Council deals with long term empty properties can be found
in Section 2.
4. House Prices
Owner Occupied Sector
Owner occupiers own the house they live in or are purchasing it with a mortgage. The
average house price in 2015/16 increased by 4.8% over the previous year (Table 4.1),
and was 17.7% higher than five years earlier (values are taken for March each year).
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Table 4.1 – Average house prices in Sheffield (March)
Average house price
(£) Change over last year (£)
% Change over last year
2012 123,236 +2,932 +2.4%
2013 125,062 +1,826 +1.5%
2014 130,449 +5,387 +4.3%
2015 138,350 +7,901 +6.1%
2016 145,013 +6,663 +4.8%
Change over 5 years - 21,777 +17.7%
Source: H M Land Registry
Detached houses are the most expensive property type and over the last 5 years the
average price of a detached house has risen by £39,309 (Table 4.2).
Flats and maisonettes represent the most affordable property type in the city although the
average price of a flat/maisonette rose by £3,372 in the past year, as shown in Table 4.2.
Chart 4.1 – House price average over the past 5 years by property type (March)
Source: HM Land Registry
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Table 4.2 – Average house price in Sheffield by property type (March)
Year Detached (£) Semi-Detached (£)
Terraced (£) Maisonette/ Flat (£)
2012 210,878 131,082 106,284 87,676
2013 215,541 133,137 107,915 87,857
2014 223,788 139,126 112,632 91,533
2015 237,197 147,708 119,263 97,283
2016 250,187 155,422 124,849 100,655
Change over previous year
+12,990 +7,714 +5,586 +3,372
Change over 5 years (£) +39,309 +24,340 +18,565 +12,979
Source: HM Land Registry
Map 4.2 shows that the housing market areas with the highest house prices are
concentrated in the west of the city. The East and North East areas are the most
affordable.
Map 4.2 – Average house price by Housing Market Area
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5. Rental Costs
Private Sector
Data from two different sources – the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and Righmove –
has been used to analyse average private rents in the city. VOA data is only available at
city level and Rightmove data has therefore been used for analysis at housing market
area level and for different property sizes, including shared properties.
Table 5.1 shows the average private sector rent per calendar month (PCM) over the last
5 years. Between 201/12 and 2015/16 the average private rent increased by £80 to £579.
Table 5.1 – Average rent per calendar month (mean)
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Change over 5 years
Average Rent PCM (£) £499 £509 £522 £557 £579 +£80
% Change over last year +4.6% +2.0% +2.6% +6.7% +3.9% +16.0%
Source: Valuation Office Agency
Private sector rents vary by bedroom size. Chart 5.1 shows they ranged from £360 for a
room in a shared property to £1,145 for a property with 5 or more bedrooms.
Chart 5.1 – Average rent per calendar month by bedroom size
Source: Rightmove
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Map 5.2 shows that the highest private rents were in the Peak District National Park and
South West HMAs, where the average rents were £779 and £741 per month
respectively. The lowest average rent was in the Stocksbridge and Deepcar HMA, where
the average rent was £490. The large number of shared properties in the City Centre
West HMA, which includes many properties rented by students, reduces the average rent
in this area.
Map 5.2 – Average monthly rents by Housing Market Area
Social Housing
In 2002 the Government asked all councils to carry out a programme of rent
convergence. This was to ensure that rent levels for all social rented properties were
based on the size and value of a property, and the average income in the area. It was
also intended to ensure that there was not a large difference between the rents being
charged for similar properties in the same area by councils and Registered Providers.
The new rents were calculated using a formula that was introduced gradually between
2002 and 2015. In 2015 the rent convergence programme was abolished and the
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Government announced that rents for all social housing in England will be reduced by 1%
each year for the next four years from April 2016.
In 2010 the Government also introduced a new “affordable rent” tenure, which allows
Registered Providers to offer rents of up to 80% of market rent levels. Affordable rent
properties were outside of the rent convergence programme but the requirement to
reduce rents for social housing by 1% a year for four years from April 2016 also applies to
affordable rent properties.
Table 5.3 shows that Council rents have increased by 22.8% over the past 5 years, whilst
social rents charged by Registered Providers increased by 17.8%. In 2015/16 the
average affordable rent charged by Registered Providers was £93.00.
Table 5.3 – Average Rents (52 week) for Social Housing 2011/12 to 2015/16
Year Council PCW (£) % Change over last year
RP PCW (£) % Change over last year
2011/12 59.90 +6.8% 68.25 +6.1%
2012/13 64.64 +7.9% 72.84 +6.7%
2013/14 67.72 +4.8% 75.99 +4.3%
2014/15 71.87 +6.1% 79.10 +4.1%
2015/16 73.56 +2.4% 81.44 +3.0%
Change over 5 years
+13.66 +22.8% 3.0% +19.3%
Source: SCC, CORE
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Section 2
Private Sector Housing Help
This section contains information and statistics about Private Housing
Standards:
Making private rented housing safe
Houses in Multiple Occupation
Tenancy relations advice
Tenancy advice and deterring illegal eviction
Dealing with problematic empty properties
Selective licensing
The Snug Scheme
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6. Private Housing Standards
In 2011 around 16% (38,453) of homes in Sheffield were rented from private
landlords - twice the number compared to 10 years earlier. More recent Census data
is not available yet, but the number of private rented households in 2015-16 will
almost certainly have increased further due to the increasing cost of home ownership
and the reduced social housing stock.
Making private rented housing safe
During 2015-16, the Council’s Private Housing Standards team received 772
requests from customers wanting advice or intervention to help resolve issues of
disrepair or potential hazards in private rented homes. These enquiries led to officers
carrying out 610 inspections out of a total of 1147 inspections carried out.
In 2015-16, 468 Category 1 Hazards (the most serious level of property risk) were
removed from private rented homes. This figure includes action on a block of 100
flats with a common defect. A further 34 Statutory Nuisances (building defects
having a serious impact on the welfare of tenants) were dealt with.
Table 6.1 – Category 1 Hazards addressed 2010-11 to 2015-16
Year Number of Category 1
Hazards addressed
2011/12 118
2012/13 226
2013/14 349
2014/15 398
2015/16 468
Source: SCC (Private Housing Standards)
In the majority of cases, officers are able to work with landlords to get work done
without having to resort to formal legal action. However, it is sometimes necessary to
serve a ‘Notice’ which requires the owner to do the work. In 2015-16, we served 103
formal Notices, and a further 337 informal Notices. We continue to successfully
prosecute those landlords who fail to comply with formal Notices.
27
In some cases, where there is an imminent risk of harm or where a landlord has
failed to comply with a formal Notice, the Council can arrange remedial work and
then recover the costs from the landlord. This action was taken to bring 5 properties
up to standard in 2015-16.
Table 6.2 – Notices served to landlords 2011-12 to 2015-16
Year Informal notices served Formal notices served
2011/12 244 37
2012/13 302 70
2013/14 293 72
2014/15 277 114
2015/16 337 103
Source: SCC (Private Housing Standards)
Licensing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
Most houses occupied by more than one un-related household, with at least five
people and which have 3 or more storeys, have to be licensed by the Council. These
are often known as ‘shared houses’. This ensures that these house types are safe,
well managed and in good repair.
There are currently estimated to be 1,750 licensable HMOs in Sheffield.
The Council attaches conditions to the licenses to ensure that these homes are safe.
In 2015-16, 925 HMO licenses were issued or renewed. Licensed HMOs are
amongst the safest properties we inspect.
HMO Licences last for 5 years. It is the responsibility of HMO owners to make sure
that they apply for a licence and any subsequent renewals. 250 properties that were
previously licenced failed to renew in 2015-16 and will be investigated.
We continue to successfully prosecute landlords who fail to licence their HMO and /
or fail to meet their management obligations.
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Fit & Proper
Another of the Council’s regulatory duties is to ensure that landlords / managing
agents who are applying for a licence, or providing properties for our schemes or for
vulnerable customers, are ‘Fit and Proper’. ‘Fit and Proper’ is the term used in the
Housing Act 2004 to determine whether someone is deemed suitable to be a
landlord. In determining Fit and Proper, the Council must take certain things into
account, such as (i) contraventions of housing law, (ii) management competence and
(iii) any offences involving fraud, violence or drugs. The Private Housing Standards
‘Fit and Proper Panel’ meets fortnightly to consider cases. In 2015-16, 7 landlords
were found ‘Not Fit and Proper’. This means that they have to nominate another
suitable person / agent to be licence holder / Manager. In addition, a further 2
landlords were refused entry into the Snug scheme. Snug is a partnership between
Sheffield City Council, Sheffield Hallam University and Hallam Union (see page 31).
Tenancy Advice and Deterring Illegal Eviction
Table 6.3 shows that in 2015-16, Private Housing Standards dealt with 731 cases in
which landlords or tenants wanted advice or guidance about their tenancy rights.
Many of these cases involved advising both landlord and tenant. 301 cases involved
tenants being asked to leave without the correct procedure being followed.
Table 6.3 – Number of cases where detailed advice was given about tenancy
rights
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
No of cases 1,121 985 940 1033 731*
% Change over last year +15.9% -12.1% -4.57% +9.89% -29%
Source: SCC (Private Housing Standards)
*It is likely that the reduction here is partly accounted for by fewer more general
requests for advice being formally recorded and more cases being referred to the
website for self-help.
Two Protection from Eviction Act prosecutions were taken to the Magistrates Court in
2015-16. One of those cases has been referred to the Crown Court. One landlord
received a formal caution for an offence of harassment.
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In 89% of cases where Private Housing Standards intervened to stop harassment or
threats of illegal eviction (where the occupier wanted to remain), the intervention was
successful (Table 6.4).
Table 6.4 – Successful tenancy relations interventions
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Percentage of successful
interventions to stop serious
harassment or threatened
illegal eviction
70%
76%
88%
90%
89%
Source: SCC (Private Housing Standards)
Enforcement of Requirement for Agents to be in a Redress Scheme
From 1 October 2014, it has been a requirement for those practising as letting and
management agents for private rented properties to be a member of a government
approved redress scheme. Private Housing Standards is responsible for enforcing these
regulations, which carry a financial penalty of up to £5,000 for those who fail to comply.
13 final enforcement notices have been issued in relation to these regulations with the
penalties totalling £37,200. These penalties can be reduced on appeal or if further
information comes to light.
Seven appeals to first tier tribunal have been made by agents who have received final
notices. In two of these cases the Council’s position was completely upheld and the
appeal rejected. In the other case, the Tribunal decision was to reduce the penalty by
less than 5%. One other appeal was withdrawn by the appellant and full payment made
to the Council. Agreements were successfully negotiated in two of the other appeal
cases and in another appealed case, new information was provided to the Council as a
result of which, the original notice was withdrawn.
Dealing with Problematic Empty Properties
The Council needs to make best use of the city’s homes and bring back long term
empty properties into use. In most cases, owners can be encouraged to make use of
the asset they own on a voluntary basis. However, in the very worst situations, where
this does not occur, the Council has enforcement powers to bring problematic long
30
term empties back into use. In 2015-16, 11 of these long term problematic properties
were brought back into use.
Table 6.5 – Problematic Empty Properties
Year 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Problematic long term
empty properties brought
back into use
N/A 6 8 10 11
Empty nuisance
properties improved N/A 17 23 31 31
Source: SCC (Private Housing Standards)
Selective Licensing
Following extensive consultation during 2013, ‘Selective Licensing’ was introduced in
the Page Hall area of Sheffield on 22 April 2014. Councils have to follow rules set by
Government, which means that only certain areas can be considered for Selective
Licensing. Landlords wanting to let their properties in the licensable area need to
apply to the Council for a licence, and crucially, comply with the terms of that licence.
Selective Licensing can help councils to better ensure that private properties are in
better condition and well managed in such areas.
By the end of March 2016 we had received 289 applications for a Selective Licence
(of which 286 were valid) and we had issued 285 draft licences and 270 actual
licences.
Of the court cases held to prosecute for failing to apply or pay for a Selective Licence
relating to 38 properties, 8 cases were withdrawn and in 20 cases the landlord
pleaded or was found guilty. The fines varied but the highest was £1,330 plus costs.
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Landlord Training
In 2012 we set up a rolling programme of training with our partners, the Residential
Landlord Association, to ensure that all landlords of licensable properties have
received adequate training. In 2015-16, 90 landlords attended the HMO Training
course and 60 landlords attended the Selective Licensing course.
We have also produced landlord information packs, to help landlords meet their legal
requirements. Standard letters and template tenancy agreements help them to
manage their tenants better, and give them advice about how to be a good landlord.
Snug Scheme
Snug is a partnership between the Council, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield
Hallam Students’ Union. Snug ensures that students have access to good quality,
safe accommodation in the private sector. Landlords achieve the Snug badge if their
property meets the required standard, and the landlord is considered ‘fit and proper’.
Sheffield Hallam University only advertises Snug approved private-sector properties
on their website. By the end of March 2016, 483 properties met the required
standard and 10,557 bed spaces were registered under the scheme.
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Section 3
Housing Advice and Support
This section contains information and statistics about:
Sheffield City Council’s Homeless Service
Sheffield City Council’s Housing Independence Team
Sheffield City Council’s approach to energy management, reduction
and resilience
33
7. Homelessness Services
These statistics show the number of people who have become homeless and contacted
our Housing Solutions Team for assistance.
It is important to note that the homelessness figures in this chapter relate to the
homelessness service which we provide under Part VII of the 1996 Housing Act and do
not give a complete picture of homelessness in the city.
Homelessness Enquiries
In 2015/16 we assessed a total of 1,300 cases. Table 7.1 details the total number of
enquiries over the past 5 years and shows a 61.8% decline since 2011/12. The
significant fall since 2011/12 partly reflects the changes to work practices introduced by
the Council’s Housing Solutions to provide a greater focus on prevention measures.
Table 7.1 – Total enquiries to Housing Solutions
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 Change over 5 years
Total Enquiries 3,632 3,263 2,072 1,178 1,300 -2,332
% Change over last year +17.9% -10.16% -36.5% -43.1% +10.36% -64.21%
Source: P1E Annual Supplement Returns (CLG)
Of the 1,300 homelessness enquiries in 2015/16, 421 cases were classed as homeless
and in priority need. We have a legal obligation to re-house people who fall into this
category.
Under the Housing Act 1996, those who are considered to be in priority need are;
Pregnant or have dependent children
Vulnerable
Have suffered an emergency such as a fire or a flood
Aged 16/17 years old
Homeless due to threats of violence likely to be carried out
Prisoners and looked-after children in certain cases.
Table 7.2 shows the outcome of enquiries made by people who class themselves as
homeless. As above, someone has to meet particular criteria to be accepted as priority
34
homeless and to be classed as unintentionally homeless by the Council. This affects the
amount of support we are able to offer them.
Table 7.2 – Outcome of homeless enquiries
Type of enquiry Number (%)
Unintentionally homeless and in priority need
421 32.4%
Intentionally homeless and in priority need
78 6.0%
Homeless but not in priority need 501 38.5%
Not homeless 236 18.2%
Ineligible 64 4.9%
Total 1,300 100.0%
Source: P1E Annual Supplement Return (DCLG)
Table 7.3 shows the outcome of homeless enquiries over the past 5 years. It shows an
increase in the amount of cases which were in priority need over the last year but a
significant fall over the previous five years.
Table 7.3 – Outcome of eligible homeless enquiries
Outcome 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 % Change over 5 years
In Priority Need 1,495 1,352 910 432 499 -66.6%
Not in Priority Need 1,402 1,257 688 456 501 -64.3%
Not Homeless 675 595 448 255 236 -65.0%
(Source: P1E Annual Supplement Return, CLG)
Table 7.4 outlines the reasons for homelessness for those cases that were
accepted. 51.1% of all cases classed as in priority need were due to the applicant
having one or more dependent children in the household. The next most common
reason for acceptance was due to vulnerability because of mental disability or illness
(20.4%).
35
Table 7.4 – Reasons for acceptance
Reason for Acceptance Number %
Dependent children 215 51.1%
Pregnancy 39 9.3%
Vulnerable – Mental disability or illness 86 20.4%
Aged 16 to 17 years old 5 1.2%
Fled home due to violence/threat of violence 19 4.5%
Have been in HM Forces 0 0.0%
Vulnerable – Physical disability 45 10.7%
Vulnerable – Drug/Alcohol dependency 2 0.5%
Have been in custody/on remand 0 0.0%
Have been in Care 3 0.7%
Formerly in “care” and aged 18 to 20 4 1.0%
Vulnerable – Former asylum seeker 2 0.5%
Emergency (fire, flood, storms etc) 0 0.0%
Vulnerable - Old age 0 0.0%
Other special reason 1 0.2%
Total Households 421 100%
Source: P1E Annual Supplement Returns (CLG), *Total doesn’t add up to 100% due to rounding
Table 7.5 shows the main reasons for homelessness among those unintentionally
homeless and in priority need. The most common reason (20.2%) was due to parents no
longer willing or able to accommodate the person.
Table 7.5 – Main reason for becoming homeless
Main reason for loss of home Number %
Parents no longer willing or able to accommodate 68 16.2%
Other relatives friends no longer willing or able to accommodate 85 20.2%
Non-violent breakdown of relationship with partner 21 5.0%
Victim of violence 61 14.5%
Victim of harassment, threats or intimidation 7 1.7%
Mortgage arrears 2 0.5%
Rent arrears 9 2.1%
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Loss of rented or tied accommodation 76 18.1%
Required to leave accommodation provided by Home Office 36 8.6%
Left an institution or LA care 22 5.2%
Other reason 34 8.1%
Total applicants 421 100.0%
Source: P1E Annual Supplement Returns (CLG), *Total doesn’t add up to 100% due to rounding
It is a Government requirement that the ethnic origin of those making enquiries about
being homeless is recorded by us. Table 7.6 shows the ethnic origin of all those who
recorded a homeless enquiry in 2015/16.
Table 7.6 – Outcome of homeless enquiry by ethnic group
White Black Asian Mixed Other Not Stated
Total
Agreed to Re-House 264 57 42 17 20 21 421
Intentionally Homeless 56 6 4 0 0 12 78
Not in Priority Need 247 82 47 20 26 79 501
Not Homeless 154 21 15 10 5 31 236
Ineligible for Assistance 21 9 5 2 6 21 64
Total Decisions 742 175 113 49 57 164 1,300
Source: P1E Annual Supplement Returns (CLG)
Chart 7.1 shows that the majority of applicants, who were unintentionally homeless and in
priority need, were either aged between 16-24 (29%) or 25-44 (57%).
37
Chart 7.1 - Unintentionally homeless and in priority need by applicant’s age
Source: P1E Annual Supplement Returns (CLG)
8. Helping vulnerable people to live independently
The Housing Independence Service is responsible for commissioning, procuring,
contract managing, and developing housing related support in Sheffield.
The Housing Independence Service received £10.8 million in 2015-16. This was to
fund services that help vulnerable people to develop and/or maintain their
independence.
Housing related support is a cost effective way of delivering preventative and
personalised support to a wide range of people who are vulnerably housed, or for a
variety of reasons, at risk of losing their home. The Housing Independence Service
contracts support providers to deliver housing related support to a predetermined
number of clients. Examples of support clients receive include:
help with budgeting, debts, and accessing benefits
help to develop budgeting skills
help with access to training and/or employment
help to improve self confidence
38
help to re-integrate into society for those who are marginalised
help to maintain independence and avoid homelessness
help to access complementary services for long term needs e.g. mental health
services, substance misuse, etc.
Table 8.1 - Service provision
Service Provision 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 % Change
Number of units of support 9,591 4,521 3,980 3,408 64.5%
Number of support services
commissioned 120 109 93 49 59.2%
Number of providers of support
services 46 47 44 27 41.3%
Source: SCC (Housing Independence Service)
Table 8.1 shows a reduction in the number of services commissioned between 2012-
13 and 2015-16. This is the result of a planned process following the adoption of a
new Council strategy in 2010. Some of the reduction reflects the phasing out of
alarm only services and the re-procurement of some services in line with a 3 year
commissioning programme. A number of services formerly delivered by multiple
small providers have been consolidated in the new contracts to ensure maximum
value for money and continued quality. This re-procurement process is continuing
and a new strategy for the period 2016-20 was agreed by Cabinet in February 2016.
It should also be noted that some reductions in overall spend are a result of budget
pressures and a need to focus reducing resources on the most vulnerable.
Table 8.2 - Spend per unit
Source: SCC (Housing Independence Service)
Table 8.2 identifies that the average cost of support units has increased over the last
4 years. This increase is largely down to the Council’s strategic decision to withdraw
from alarm only services, which were high volume and low cost. This has a
2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16
Annual cost per unit £1,614 £2,953 £3,026 £3,174
Total annual cost £15,479,000 £13,351,500 £12,044,500 £10,818,500
39
significant influence on the average cost of services. In reality a large number of
services have reduced in cost and are delivering better value for money.
Table 8.3 the number of units commissioned for each client group is shown in the
table below and shows that the majority of housing related units are commissioned
for older people.
Table 8.3 - No. of units commissioned by client group
Client Group Units of
support
Older People with support needs 1,491
Homelessness 572
Complex needs / Generic provision 207
Young people at risk 346
Community safety 323
People with mental health problems 303
People with physical or sensory
disability 79
People at risk of domestic violence 87
Source: SCC (Housing Independence Service)
40
9. Energy Management, Reduction and Resilience
Improving energy efficiency can help to reduce fuel bills, prevent health problems related
to cold and damp housing, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
We are committed to promoting energy efficiency and reducing fuel poverty in the city.
We are doing this by working with other organisations in the health sector, community
groups and energy companies.
The key activities we worked on in 2015/16 were:
Further rounds of the Big Sheffield Switch.
Solar photo-voltaic systems, including managing existing installations and project
support to Sheffield Council Housing Service with a large-scale programme to
install solar photo-voltaic systems to council-owned housing as part of the re-
roofing programme.
The Big Sheffield Switch
The Big Switch campaign engages local residents across all tenures and income bands,
particularly those in vulnerable and less affluent households, in a mass approach to
secure better fuel tariffs. The outputs of the Big Sheffield Switch campaigns are shown in
Table 9.1.
Table 9.1 Big Sheffield Switch Outputs
Big Sheffield Switch March 2013 March 2014 March 2015 Autumn
2015
Households signed up 8,100 2,000 6,096 2,705
Households switching to
winning tariffs 710 800 1,799 1,079
Highest annual saving on
bills from winning tariffs £350 £1,140 £996 £950
Average annual saving on
bills from winning tariffs £110 £203 £255 £305
Source: SCC (Capital Delivery Service)
41
In the year to March 2016, 2,705 households were signed up and 39.9% of these
switched to the winning tariff to allow them to make savings on their fuel bills. The
average annual saving for households who switched in 2015/16 was £305.
Photo-Voltaic Systems / Feed in Tariff
The Council has photo-voltaic systems (which generate electricity from sunlight) on two
council office buildings and 27 council houses. These are registered with the
Government’s Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme under which the Council claims money from a
designated energy supplier for the electricity produced and fed into the National Grid.
Table 9.2 shows the income from electricity generated by the photo-voltaic systems and
from electricity exported to the National Grid both increased by 4.3% in 2015/16 over the
previous year.
Table 9.2 Photo-Voltaic Systems / Feed in Tariff Outputs
Photo-voltaic Systems /
Feed in tariff
2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Value of generation electricity
generated
(no VAT)
£13,708 £13,058 £14,814 £15,183
Value of electricity exported to
the National Grid (+20% VAT) £584 £552 £626 £642
Source: SCC (Capital Delivery Service)
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Section 4
Council Housing Management
This section contains information and statistics about:
Five year investment programme
Programmed and responsive maintenance
Estate management
Anti-social behaviour
Customer service
Rent collection
Council housing revenue
43
10. Five Year Investment Programme
Following the end of the Decent Homes programme, the emphasis for investment
will no longer be on making each individual home decent but will focus on areas that
were not included as part of Decent Homes.
Initially, the priority for investment is to reduce the maintenance backlog by
completing work that could not be completed as part of Decent Homes such as,
replacing obsolete heating systems, the replacement external elements such as
roofs and the upgrading of electrics. Other programmes of work to enhance the
assets that were not included as part of the Decent Homes programme are also
being developed, such as the communal area programme.
However, the Council continues to measure and track the performance of its housing
stock against the Decent Homes Standard. Table 10.1 shows that the target for
homes improved to the Decent Homes Standard in 2015/16 was successfully
achieved.
Table 10.1 – Percentage of homes not meeting the Decent Homes Standard
2014/15 2015/16 Change
Target 7.1% 5.0% -2.1%
Actual 4.9% 3.30% -1.6%
Difference -2.2% -1.70%
Source: SCC
Table 10.2 shows that in 2015/16 the total annual expenditure on the Sheffield Standard
programme was £65.975 million.
Table 10.2 - Total spent in millions on the 5 year Investment programme
2014/15 2015/16 Change
Target £26.432m £86.108m +£59.676m
Actual £22.745m £65.975m +£43.230m
Difference -£3.687m -£20.133m -£16.446m
Source: SCC
44
Energy efficiency ratings for local authority owned dwellings are measured using the
average SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure). The SAP is a calculation of a building’s
energy efficiency rating running from 1 to 100, with 1 being the least efficient and 100 the
most efficient.
Table 10.3 shows the average efficiency rating for Council dwellings as measured by the
SAP has decreased by1.5 points since 2011/12 but the efficiency target was still
achieved in 2015/16.
Table 10.3 - Average energy efficiency rating for Council dwellings
Energy Efficiency Rating
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 72.3 73.0 70.2 68.8 69.0
Actual 72.7 70.1 68.6 68.9 71.2
Difference +0.4 -2.9 -1.6 +0.1 +2.2
Source: SCC, BVPI63
11. Programmed and Responsive Maintenance
This section contains information on current maintenance spending. It also shows the
average number of repairs per property and the percentage of repairs completed within
the target time for 2015/16.
Maintaining existing stock is a major area of the service provided to tenants by the
Council Housing Service. The focus of maintenance work is moving away from reliance
on responsive work (day to day repairs, vacant and minor works) and towards effective
programmed maintenance (elemental repairs and cyclical works).
Expenditure
During 2015/16 £21,132,555 was spent on programmed maintenance. The breakdown
of these works is given in Table 11.1. Programmed maintenance includes regular works
carried out to specific building components to standard specifications at regular intervals
e.g. painting and heating servicing.
Regular programmed maintenance to buildings aims to reduce the number of responsive
and unnecessary repairs, and extend the life of buildings. It also includes works that are
45
necessary when properties are generally in good condition except for one or two
components. Planned maintenance can involve repairing or replacing items such as
roofs, windows, and footpaths on a given group of properties.
Table 11.1 - Planned maintenance expenditure
Category of Maintenance £ %
Heating servicing £3,928,896 19%
New heating systems £7,550,161 36%
Electrical £2,488,146 12%
Painting & prior to painting works
£1,164,734 6%
Lift servicing / refurbishment £800,197 4%
District Heating £2,914,346 14%
Fees £81,686 0%
Stair-lifts installation / servicing
£185,104 1%
Other £2,019,284.68 10%
Total £21,132,555 100%
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
Responsive Repairs
Responsive repairs are mainly day-to-day repairs which are ordered by tenants through
Kier. Table 11.2 shows that in 2015/16 £20,468,522 was spent on these types of repairs.
Table 11.2 - Responsive repairs expenditure
£ %
Day to day repairs £12,056,569 59%
Vacant property repairs £8,411,953 41%
Total £20,468,522 100%
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
Chart 11.1 shows that expenditure on maintenance reduced from £44.9m in 2014/15 to
£41.6m in 2015/16.
46
Chart 11.1 - Total maintenance expenditure
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
A number of performance targets used to measure maintenance standards are illustrated
below but further details about the Council Housing Services performance and targets
are available on its website. Table 11.3 shows that in 2015/16, the average satisfaction
rating with the Council Housing repairs service was 8.5 out of 10.
Table 11.3 - Satisfaction of tenants with the repairs service
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 8.5 8.5 8.7 8.7 8.5
Actual 8.2 8.6 8.9 8.9 8.5
Difference -0.3 +0.1 +0.2 0.0 0.0
Source: Best Value Performance Plan, IPI 1
Table 11.4 shows the percentage of repairs completed on time in 2015/16 fell slightly
compared to 2014/15 and was below the target.
Table 11.4 - All repairs completed on time
Source: Council Housing Service, LPI 18
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 97.5% 97.5% 97.5% 97.2% 97.2%
Actual 96.8% 97.2% 98.1% 97.2% 96.7%
Difference -0.7% -0.3% +0.6% 0% -0.5%
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12. Estate Management This section contains customer satisfaction information about estates across the city
owned by the Council. The indicators used are taken from the Council Housing
Service’s Neighbourhood Survey questionnaire and are measured on a scale
between 1 and 10.
Table 12.1 – Satisfaction with neighbourhood 2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 7.5 7.7 7.5 7.5 7.5
Actual 7.7 7.4 7.5 7.5 7.6
Difference +0.2 -0.3 0.0 0.0 +0.1
Source: Council Housing Service, IPI 163
Table 12.1 shows that satisfaction with the neighbourhood increased slightly from the
previous year and was above achieved its target.
Table 12.2 – Satisfaction with staircases in block
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 7.0 7.7 7.7 7.7 7.7
Actual 7.7 7.6 7.6 7.4 7.5
Difference +0.7 0.1 -0.1 -0.6 -0.2
Source: Council Housing Service, IPI 20
Table 12.2 shows that satisfaction with the staircases in communal areas slightly
increased from the previous year but missed its target of 7.7 out of 10.
Table 12.3 – Satisfaction with shared green areas
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 7.0 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5
Actual 7.9 7.6 7.7 7.7 7.9
Difference +0.9 +0.1 +0.2 +0.2 +0.4
Source: Council Housing Service, IPI 164
48
Table 12.3 shows that satisfaction with shared green spaces in 2015/16 increased from
the previous year and continued to exceed its target of 7.5 out of 10.
Table 12.4 – How likely to recommend to family and friends
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 8.0 8.0 8.2 8.2 8.2
Actual 8.4 8.3 8.1 8.2 8.4
Difference +0.4 +0.3 -0.1 0.0 +0.2
Source: Council Housing Service, IPI 168
Table 12.4 shows that the average council tenant rated their likelihood of recommending
Sheffield Council Housing Service to family and friends as 8.4 out of 10, which was a
slight increase from the previous year and exceeded its target.
13. Anti-Social Behaviour
This chapter provides statistics on nuisance, harassment and anti-social behaviour for
Council Housing tenants. The information provided relates to the number of new calls or
incidents logged on the Council’s system. These calls may be made by tenants and
residents, but also, in some cases, by housing officers and other professionals. It is also
possible to have multiple calls about one person/incident and also multiple incidents with
a single reporter.
Table 13.1 shows that the total number of complaints of harassment recorded city wide
increased by 4 cases from 2014/15. The complaints are split into several categories. In
2015/16 the most reported harassment cases were related to race, which increased by 4
cases from 2014/15.
Table 13.1 - Reported harassment cases by category
Category 2014/15 2015/16 Change
Age 2 1 -1
Disability 2 7 +5
Gender 0 1 +1
Race 45 49 +4
Religion 0 0 0
49
Sexual Orientation 8 3 -5
Total 57 61 +4
Source: SSC (Council Housing Service) Table 13.2 shows the types of anti-social behaviour complaints recorded city wide, by
category. Between 2014/15 and 2015/16 the number of anti-social behaviour (ASB)
complaints fell by 644, from 4,597 in 2014/15 to 3,953 in 2015/16.
The majority of complaints (41.1%) received by the Council Housing Service were about
noise nuisance. The next most frequent ASB complaint was related to verbal
abuse/harassment/intimidation, this accounted for 16.6% of all complaints.
Table 13.2 - Anti-Social Behaviour complaints by category
Category 2015/16 %
Noise Nuisance 1623 41.1%
Verbal abuse/harassment/intimidation/threatening behaviour
657 16.6%
Misuse communal / public area or loitering 455 11.5%
Pets & Animal 306 7.7%
Drug, substance misuse & dealing 216 5.5%
Other criminal behaviour 173 4.4%
Misuse of Property 162 4.1%
Vandalism & damage to property 120 3.0%
Abusive toward staff (+ violence / threats) 65 1.6%
Nuisance from vehicles 60 1.5%
Physical violence (other than domestic) 52 1.3%
Garden Nuisance 36 0.9%
Domestic Abuse 16 0.4%
Alcohol Related 7 0.2%
Prostitution, sexual acts, kerb crawling 5 0.1%
Total 3,953 100.0%
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
14. Customer Service
This section contains information on four of the performance indicators included in the
Council Housing Service’s annual neighbourhood survey:
50
Table 14.1 – Satisfaction with Council Housing Service’s overall service
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0
Actual 7.8 7.9 7.9 7.8 8.0
Difference -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 -0.2 0.0
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service, IPI 160)
Table 14.1 shows that overall satisfaction with the Council Housing Service in 2015/16
increased slightly from the previous year and met its target.
Table 14.2 – Satisfaction with ease to find out about the Council Housing’s Service
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 7.5 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0
Actual 8.0 7.8 7.5 7.4 7.6
Difference +0.5 -0.2 -0.5 -0.6 -0.4
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service, IPI 166)
Table 14.2 shows that satisfaction with the ease of finding out about the Council
Housing’s services in 2015/16 increased slightly from the previous year but failed to meet
its target.
Table 14.3 – Satisfaction with treatment by Council Housing staff
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 8.0 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5
Actual 8.5 8.3 8.1 8.1 8.3
Difference +0.5 -0.2 -0.4 -0.4 -0.2
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service, IPI 161)
Table 14.3 shows that satisfaction with treatment by Council Housing staff in 2015/16
increased from the previous year but did not meet its target.
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Table 14.4 – Satisfaction with being listened to by Council Housing staff
2011/12 2012/13
2013/14 2014/15 2015/16
Target 7.0 7.6 7.6 7.6 7.6
Actual 7.6 7.4 7.2 7.1 7.3
Difference +0.4 -0.2 -0.4 -0.5 -0.3
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service, IPI 167)
Table 14.4 shows that satisfaction levels with being listened to by Council Housing staff in
2015/16 increased slightly from the previous year but fell below its target.
15. Rent Collection
This section contains information on rent collected, arrears, notices seeking possession,
court action and evictions.
Chart 15.1 shows that total rent arrears were £10,673,618m in 2015/16, which was below
the target of £11,600,000m.
Chart 15.1 - Total rent arrears
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
Notices and court action for rent arrears
Table 15.1 shows the number of notices served and court action cases pursued over the
past five years for rent arrears. Both the number of notices served and cases resulting in
52
court action decreased in 2015/16 over the previous year. Over the previous five years,
the number of notices served increased by 11.7% but the number court action cases
pursued fell by 9.8%.
Table 15.1 - Notices and court action
2011/12
2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 % Change over 5 years
Notices 3,392 3,721 4,232 4,089 3,790 +11.7%
Court Action 1,282 1,254 1,490 1,306 1,141 -9.8%
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
Table 15.2 shows that the number of evictions in 2015/16 due to rent arrears decreased
by 33 over the previous year to 368. The number of evictions due to rent arrears was
30.0% higher in comparison to five years earlier.
Table 15.2 – Evictions due to Rent Arrears 2011/12
2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 % Change
over 5 years
Evictions due to Rent Arrears
283 299 389 401 368 +30.0%
% Change over last year
-7.2% +5.7% +30.1% +3.1% 8.2%
Source: SCC (Council Housing Service)
16. Council Housing Revenue
This section contains details of income and expenditure to and from the Housing
Revenue Account (HRA). The HRA is a ring-fenced account used by the local authority
for Council housing income and expenditure. It is essentially a ‘landlord account’ that
covers the cost of day to day housing management, investment and repairs services for
Council tenants. It includes the rental income and other income from tenants and all
other related expenditure.
2015/16 is the fourth year of self-financing brought in through the HRA Reform. The
Council no longer receives subsidy from the Government but now keeps all of the income
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from Council housing in Sheffield. In 2015/16, 93.6% of Housing Revenue came from
rental income, as shown in Table 16.1.
Table 16.1 – Housing Revenue Account income
Income 2014/15 2015/16
£Million* £Million* £Million* £Million*
Rental Income 149.0 149.0 151.0 93.6%
Other Income 11.0 11.0 10.3 6.4%
Total income 160.0 160.0 161.3 100.0%
Source: SCC (Resources Finance, Housing Resources Team *subject to rounding)
Income comes from a number of areas, although the majority is from rent monies; either
tenant payments or housing benefit.
Table 16.2 shows a breakdown of expenditure by different categories and illustrates how
the rent income shown in Table 16.1 is spent.
Table 16.2 – Housing Revenue Account expenditure
Expenditure £ (Million)* %
Repairs and maintenance 33.4 20.7%
Tenants Services 52.6 32.6%
Investment in the Capital Programme 56.9 35.3%
Financing charges 14.6 9.1%
Other charges 2.7 1.7%
Transfer to reserves 1.1 0.7%
Total expenditure 161.3 100.0%
*Subject to rounding Source: SCC (Resources Finance, Housing Resources Team)
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Section 5 Additional Information
This section contains:
Overview of Housing Market Areas
Useful links
Sources of information
Glossary
55
17. Overview of Housing Market Areas
HMA Key housing market characteristics
Area (sq. miles)
City Centre Significant new build over last decade, dominated by apartments, both converted and purpose-built, including significant regeneration in areas like Park Hill and Kelham Island. Significant new student market. Very few families, although some low-rise Housing Association estates on western fringe. It mainly includes the Central ward and parts of the Broomhill, Manor Castle and Walkley wards.
1.0
City Centre West Dominated by Victorian and inter-war terraced and semi-detached housing. Popular neighbourhoods benefitting from proximity to major universities and hospitals. Significant PRS for students and young professionals. It includes large parts of the Broomhill, Central, Crookes, Nether Edge and Walkley wards and fringes of the Fulwood, Arbourthorne and Gleadless Valley wards.
6.1
Stocksbridge and Deepcar
Separate self-contained settlement on rural fringe. Enjoys good access to trunk road network, but commuting links with Sheffield are congested and public transport slow, usually requiring a change from bus to tram. It includes the ward of Stocksbridge and Deepcar.
7.3
Chapeltown/ Ecclesfield
Popular separate self-contained settlement close to motorways and north Sheffield employment zones. It includes large parts of the wards of East and West Ecclesfield and fringe parts of Shiregreen and Brightside ward.
8.2
North East Area dominated by very large inter-war Council housing estates. Formerly part of the South Yorkshire HMR area. It includes large parts of the Shiregreen and Brightside, Southey and Firth Park wards, as well as fringe parts of the Burngreave and East Ecclesfield wards
6.7
North West Mix of housing types, broadly suburban in character. More affordable than the other parts of west Sheffield, especially popular with families. It includes large parts of the Hillsborough, Stannington and Walkley wards.
4.4
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Rural Upper Don Valley
Small HMA comprising relatively sought-after villages with a semi-rural character.
2.1
Peak District National Park
Very little of the city’s housing is found in the Peak District. What housing there is exists in small villages and hamlets, within which development is very tightly restricted. Prices reflect the popularity of the rural lifestyle and the constraints on supply. Housing planning largely the responsibility of the Park Authority. It includes large parts of the Stocksbridge and Upper Don Valley ward and parts of the Stannington ward.
67.5
East Formerly the location of much of Sheffield’s heavy industries, the East HMA is dominated by cheaper, often terraced housing and a more demographically and ethnically mixed population than many other parts of the city. Formerly part of the South Yorkshire HMR area. It includes large parts of the Burngreave and Darnall wards, and fringe parts of the Manor Castle ward.
8.3
South East Several large and important suburbs from a variety of eras, home especially to families moving from more central parts of south and east Sheffield. Very significant expansion since the 1970s of private suburban estates in the Mosborough Townships, centred on the Crystal Peaks district shopping centre. Although quite distant from the city centre, the HMA benefits from good transport links to the city centre and good access to motorways. It includes large parts of the Beighton, Birley, Mosborough, Richmond and Woodhouse wards, and fringe parts of the Arbourhorne and Darnall wards.
12.7
South West Universally acknowledged as Sheffield’s premier housing market area, especially among those with above-average incomes and who may be relatively new to the city. Large areas of very low density detached housing from a range of eras, almost all in owner occupation. The South West HMA has excellent access to the Peak District and a reputation as having the best schools in the city, both of which are considered to influence the market considerably. There are very few socially rented properties in this HMA. It includes large parts of the Dore and Totley and Ecclesall wards, and fringe parts of the Beauchief and Greenhill and Nether Edge wards.
7.9
South Slightly more affordable range of housing 5.2
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than the South West HMA but sharing some of its characteristics. Also includes major peripheral systems-built Council housing estates on boundary with North East Derbyshire. It includes large parts of the Beauchief and Greenhill and Graves Park wards, as well as parts of the Gleadless Valley ward. It also includes fringe parts of the Dore and Totley, Ecclesall and Nether Edge wards.
Manor/ Arbourthorne / Gleadless
Large area dominated by several distinctive social housing estates, including the large inter-war estates on the Manor and Arbourthorne, and systems-built developments in Norfolk Park and Gleadless commanding impressive views over the city. These areas have been subject to significant market restructuring and tenure mixing in recent years although the social rented sector is still dominant. Formerly part of the South Yorkshire HMR area. It includes large parts of the Arbourthorne, Gleadless Valley and Manor Castle wards, as well as parts of the Beauchief and Greenhill and Graves Park wards. It also includes fringe parts of the Darnall and Richmond wards.
4.4
18. Useful links
Sheffield City Council – www.sheffield.gov.uk
Big Sheffield Switch - Big Sheffield Switch
Council Housing Service – Council housing
Council Housing performance - Housing Service Performance
CORE - CORE - CORE - Home
Homelessness - Housing advice and options line
Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) - Local authority housing data - GOV.UK
Land Registry – https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry
Private Landlord Standards - Controls on private housing
Sheffield Directory - Signpost Sheffield - Where I live
Standard Assessment Procedure (government method of assessing a property’s energy
and environmental performance) - https://www.gov.uk/standard-assessment-procedure
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19. Sources of Information
Sheffield City Council:
Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) returns
English Local Authority Statistics on Housing (ELASH) return
Local Authority Housing Statistical (LAHS) returns
Planning Monitoring
Housing Resources Finance
Asylum Team Management Statistics
Housing Independence Service
Private Sector Housing Team
CORE (The continuous recording of lettings and sales in social housing in
England)
HM Land Registry
P1E Annual Supplement Return to Department of Communities and Local
Government
Council Housing Service
Council Housing Service’s Best Value Performance Plans (IPI & LPI)
Rightmove
Valuation Office Agency
20. Glossary
General Needs Lettings
General needs lettings cover the majority of housing stock for rent and
include both self-contained and shared housing. It is stock that is not designated for
specific client groups requiring support, or stock that does not have the special
design features that are specific to housing for older people or supported housing.
Housing Tenure
The legal status under which people have the right to occupy their property. The main
types are; home ownership (outright or mortgaged) and rented (private rented and social
rented).
Priority Housing Need
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Priority is awarded to people applying for Council housing who have an immediate,
urgent or planned need to move because of their specific circumstances. Where this is
recognised to be the case, they will be given priority over other applicants on the housing
register.
Examples of reasons applicants can be awarded priority are; homelessness, domestic
abuse, racial harassment, anti-social behaviour, young care-leavers, people living in
overcrowded housing and people with health needs. Full details can be found in the
Sheffield Allocations Policy:
http://www.sheffieldpropertyshop.org.uk/Data/ASPPages/1/212.aspx
Supported Needs Lettings
Housing categorised as supported needs housing is on the basis of either special
design facilities or features, or by designation for a particular client group which
requires additional support to live independently.
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